ENERGO: More wind generation in Europe than coal, says Ember

For the first time, Europe saw more wind power generation in the last quarter of 2023 than generation from coal. This is according to the climate think-tank Ember.

From October to December, utilities in Europe generated 193 TWh of electricity from wind projects compared with 184 TWh from coal-fired power plants. Coal powered plants generate immense amounts of CO2 emissions.

Wind generation during the fourth quarter of 2023 was roughly 20% more than in the same quarter in 2022, despite fierce headwinds faced by the industry such as inflation and labour and transport costs.

More broadly, Ember reports that wind turbines generated 7.6% of the world’s electricity in 2022, more than double the share in 2015, when it was 3.5%.

The climate think-tank says that offshore and onshore wind are growing to become the backbone of global electricity grids. In the International Energy Agency (IEA) scenario which stays below the crucial 1.5C temperature limit, wind and solar will need to make up 40% of global electricity by 2030.